The hypersonic planes that could fly passengers from London to New York in less than an hour

Uncomfortable 24-hour flights to the other side of the world could become a thing of the past after scientists tested new hypersonic flights in Australia.

Once the preserve of science fiction, new super-fast planes, which travel at six times the speed of normal airliners are being successfully trialled in the country's remote outback.

Flying high: The hypersonic plane tests could signal a new era in long-haul flights and space travel.

The latest plane to take to the skies, travelling at 5840km per hour, would take just 2.9 hours to reach Europe and could reduce the London to New York flight to just 52 minutes.

Faster than Concorde: the use of hypersonic planes could revolutionise flights.

The cutting-edge technology is currently being tested for military purposes but is a huge step forward
in developing new, faster planes which could eventually be used for
commercial flights.

Developed
by Australian defence scientists and the US Air Force, Hypersonic
International Flight Research Experimentation, or HIFiRE, blasts a
vehicle 200km into space on a rocket before it dives back through the
atmosphere at hypersonic speed.

Pictured above is the second of
ten planned test flights. The hypersonic element refers to travelling at speeds that are five times greater than the speed of sound.

The successful trial flights are a significant milestone according to Australian Defence Personnel Minister Greg Combet.

He said: 'Hypersonic flight has the potential to revolutionise global air travel and provide cost-effective access to space.'

Currently the flight breaks up on its way back down to earth and ends up crash landing ten minutes after taking off.

But passengers need not fear, the technology is going to be a developed a lot further before it is unleashed on the public.

It is estimated it will take ten years until hypersonic propulsion becomes technically feasible according to Mr Combet.

So, you might have to wait a while before planning to pop to the Big Apple for a day's shopping.